Community Investment Budget_PowerPoint Presentation to the JIC — original pdf

Backup

Welcome to the Community Investment Budget Information Session! Hosted by Equity Action AT X Introductions Who is Equity Action? ● Equity Action is a P olitical Action Committee (P AC) focused on centering equity and justice in Austin’s political system. W hat is the Community Investment Budget? ● In collaboration with dozens of community organizations, Equity Action has been facilitating a 2024 Community Investment Budget that will ask Austin City Council to commit to invest directly to community needs, such as: increased wages for P arent Support Specialists, emergency rental assistance and tenant support services, social services for those experiencing homelessness, increased funding for park support, and much more. History of CIB and other Community-Led Budget Initiatives Austin has a long history of community-based budgeting. ● Over many years Communities of Color United presented their P eople’s Budget. T hey started something amazing, where people discuss and decide priorities for local spending. ● T hen in 2021, the Austin P olice Association and Save Austin Now put a measure on the ballot that would have required Austin to spend all the available new money coming in on police, regardless of other needs. Austin said No W ay! ● Out of that big coalition to protect the budget came the first Community Investment Budget for F Y22-23. W e pressed the city to think about public safety in a new way -- well maintained parks, shelter, youth activities, EMS’s staffing, an independent forensic lab. ● T his year we’re back, because housing stability, workforce development, child development, and increasing wages for City Employees and EMS should be of utmost priority in the upcoming budget cycle. Who are the organizations involved? ACLU of Texas Alliance for Safety and Justice Austin Area Urban League Austin Community Law Center Austin Environmental Democrats Austin Justice Coalition Austin Mutual Aid Austin Urban Technology Movement Avow Blackland CDC Black Lives Veggies The Nonprofit Black Mamas ATX Community Resilience Trust Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice District 5 for Black Lives East Austin Conservancy Education Austin Equity Action Fruitful Commons Fund Texas Choice Go Austin/ Vamos Austin Ground Game Texas Hungry Hill Foundation Just Liberty Lilith Fund MISMA (Mujeres Inspiradas en Sueños, Metas y Acciones) Planning Our Communities Pro Choice with Heart Public Citizen Save Our Springs Alliance Sierra Club, Austin Regional Group Statewide Leadership Council Sunrise Movement Austin Survive2Thrive Foundation Sustainable Food Center Texas Center for Justice and Equity Texas Fair Defense Project Texas Harm Reduction Alliance Texas Women’s Justice Coalition The NICE Project Tomorrow’s Promise Foundation Undoing White Supremacy Austin University Democrats Zilker Neighborhood Association And the list continues to grow… How does the City Budget work? ● Community input → Boards & Commissions ○ November thru March ● Boards & Commissions → City departments, Staff, City Council ○ April thru August ● City Manager releases P roposed Budget ○ J uly 14 ● City Council works on budget based on CM’s proposal ○ August What did last year’s Community Investment Budget (CIB) look like? Let’s take a look! What did the ‘23 -‘24 COA Budget look like? What does this year’s CIB look like? Let’s take a look! Why is the CIB important? When Winter Storm Uri wreaked havoc across Austin, community members and organizations were the first to respond. Parent Support Specialists checked in on families to make sure they had what they needed to be safe, mutual aid and nonprofit organizations mobilized to rescue people from their homes (whether in a house or on the street), and local restaurants donated their time, food, and space to prepare and distribute meals. Our public libraries serve as community spaces, resource centers for unhoused and low-income people, and cultural hubs. EMS and City Workers are exploring opportunities in other cities due to salaries that have not kept pace with the increase cost of living in Austin. Lack of affordable, safe childcare is a barrier from employment and other opportunities to many families across the city. Why is the CIB important? Safety and security mean people to call on when it might take a village. That sometimes means an arrest and a criminal charge, but often that is not the best answer to the problem at hand. Maybe mental health services. Maybe shelter. A safe and secure community is one in which people's basic needs are met; one in which everyone has access to safe and clean housing, to a good education, to fresh and healthful food, to resources during times of crisis, to well-maintained parks, and more. The City of Austin spends more than 1/3 of its budget on police alone, which addresses only a fraction of safety overall. The CIB was created to provide guidance on how to address community safety using the remaining 2/3 of the City budget. Why is the CIB important? While Austin is considered one of the best cities in the country to live in for many people, we still have a long way to go to ensure that it is the best for everyone - regardless of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, and income. The CIB details just over $100 million, or 7% of the roughly $1.3 billion General Revenue budget, in funding recommendations to directly address existing community needs and ways to improve the quality of life for Austinites across the city. In Austin, we value and cherish our neighbors, and our City's spending should reflect it. It is in our power to do it. But as a community, we need to tell our leaders: this is what we want. Does APD need more money? You have no doubt heard about the vacancies at APD. Adding money to APD’s budget this year will not help. APD has more than enough money already and cannot possibly hire and train enough people this year to fill the open seats (for which it already has funding.) Meanwhile, EMS continues to also face high vacancies and cannot match salaries with competing options for trained staff. The 911 call center is in crisis, with vacancy rates topping 40%. If you call 911 and no one can answer the phone, then the rest of the system fails. How can you support? Contact the City Manager’s Office Contact your City Council Member Contact a Board or Commission that is relevant to your life Follow Equity Action on social media (@equityactionatx) and repost/engage with any content about the CIB Community/neighborhood Meetings Endorse the CIB (as an individual or a group) For more information and to request the CIB Advocacy Packet with further instructions on how to participate, contact Daniela Silva at danielasilvatx@gmail.com Questions?